Sophie Mirabella was "in shock" and "unaware" that GetUp! director needed medical attention when he collapsed during a live panel talks on TV, a spokesperson said.

Mirabella, Australia's Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, was put on spotlight by the alarming collapse of Sheikh Monday night. Looking like she deliberately pulled away from a crisis, Mirabella failed to provide help when it was needed.

Not for emergency situations?

Twitter user @Joe_Hildebrand wrote: "Oh, and if I'm ever in need of first aid I really hope the first person on the scene isn't Sophie Mirabella. #qanda"

A sarcastic tweet by @jothornely read: "Just back off Sophie Mirabella, people. She was assisting Simon Sheikh with her HEALING GAZE (sic)."

Sophie Mirabella: Wearing someone else's shoes

Some Aussies sympathised with Mirabella because she was put in a highly unusual situation. They argued it was hard to tell how many people could react like Greg Combet in such a scenario.

The climate change minister was the first to notice something was wrong with Sheikh when he slumped forward, head rested on the desk, in the middle of the discussion.

"We'd all like to think in a crisis we'd be the first to don our capes and swoop in to the rescue," Tory Maguire of thepunch.com.au wrote. She added, "The fact is it often takes at least a few seconds to assess a situation."

GetUp! deputy director Sam McLean also sympathised with Mirabella.

"The criticism has been unnecessary. It was obviously a shocking circumstance," Mr McLean said.

Meanwhile, the Web users' opposing views on the situation can all be seen on Twitter.

@edhusicMP: You can criticise Sophie Mirabella about a lot of things - don't criticise her for her reaction to Simon's #qanda collapse

@sexenheimer: Those criticising Sophie Mirabella should ask themselves how THEY would react after injecting the person next to them with poison.

GetUp! director issues a statement

Sheikh has released a statement following his collapse, hinting he had been overstressed.

"We have a number of important campaigns we are working hard on at GetUp! right now and perhaps like a lot of us, I have been burning the candle at both ends," he said.

"She was unaware..."

"She was unaware at the time that it was a medical emergency," a spokesperson for Mirabella told brisbanetimes.com.au, noting: "She was in shock."